Experts seek recycling for sustainable environment

 Oyebola Owolabi

ENVIRONMENTALISTS have advocated up-cycling and recycling as the way forward if Nigeria must achieve goal number 11 (sustainable cities and communities) of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by member-states of the United Nations (UN).

There is the fear that Nigeria might not attain this goal, despite the 2030 timeline, going by the waste management issues plaguing the country. These advocates are, therefore, insistent revising and recycling, if practised wholeheartedly, will benefit the country in no small measure.

Sola Adekanye, a sustainability expert and researcher, said: “Recycling is an effective way to capture material inputs to the market. This makes recycling a control measure and not preventive. Consumption is likely not to reduce, therefore, waste will not reduce significantly, even if Nigerians reduce and reuse, because waste correlates with population density. This is why recycling is an effective way to decrease waste piles at landfills.

“Proper waste disposal will create an income-generating venture for the state, private entities and citizens. Many unemployed will gain work. The health benefits to be derived from pollution control, especially recycling, are also enormous; our waterways will be cleaner, which will encourage activities like water sports, transportation, among others.”

Sade Nubi of the Works and Physical Planning of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) also identified population explosion and industrialisation as a major cause of pollution.

She believes that the benefits in proper waste disposal are enormous. To her, proper waste disposal will ensure a cleaner environment, better health for the people, raw materials for local industries and employment opportunities.

Olamide Ayeni-Babajide, founder and chief executive, Pearl Recycling, said recycling and upcycling remain the two major escape routes if Nigeria must meet the goal of sustainable cities and environment. Pearl Recycling is a social enterprise that remodels solid waste into sustainable eco-friendly products.

She said:  “Pearl recycling started from a place of anger. I attended a conference in Dubai in 2012 where I got a wall decor made from corn husk and I realised we could also explore such in Nigeria and make useful products from waste as other countries are doing; and that was how Pearl Recycling started. I realised we could do same thing in Nigeria and replicate the same process.

“We saw a gap in environmental issues in Nigeria. There is a lot of waste that is not being used properly, waste in the drainages, landfills, etc.  We can explore the situation and make useful products from waste as other countries are doing.”

Unlike recycling, which involves the chemical or technological breakdown of waste, Ayeni-Babajide is more inclined towards upcycling, a process she described as transforming something from one condition to another, which might not necessarily involve technology or chemicals. A product is converted to something else entirely at the end of its life, something not connected to its original status.

‘’Tyre is one of such materials, which Ayeni-Babajide converts to furniture. She turns tyre to eco-friendly furniture for every occasion and use, especially furniture which she donates to schools. She also makes ottoman seats and tables which are used in homes and offices.

‘’The tyres are covered with foam and three layers of fabric for the indoor use but just painted for the outdoor use. The fear of fire is also taken care of since tyres will not burn unless doused with flammable substance such as petrol.

Aside tyres, Ayeni-Babajide works with other wastes. She makes wall decors from wine corks and some  plastic.

‘’To underscore the importance of recycling and upcycling to the environment, Ayeni-Babajide also teaches others, especially women and girls, to empower them and indirectly benefit the environment. The centre has taught about 250 persons, 90 per cent of who are women and girls. “We focus more on women and girls because we want to empower them to be useful to themselves.  Our chairs can be made at home. We also partner organisations to train people and these organisations pay for the trainings.  We are working with the United States (U.S.) government to train 800 public school pupils but we have trained more than 500 so far.  We are expected to train 40 in each school but then we have gone to some schools and trained 75 because the pupils are eager to learn and when they come, we can’t send them back,” she added.